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SALUTE TO WOMEN: Kathleen McDermott

Montachusett Opportunity Council leader works to better people's lives

By Anne O'Connor, Correspondent

Updated:
07/31/2013 10:42:03 AM EDT

Kathleen McDermott, executive director of Montachusett Opportunity Council Inc., speaks during a recognition ceremony in honor of the participants and sponsors of MOC's 2011 summer jobs program as well as the Green Acres summer program and homework center at Green Acres in Fitchburg on Aug. 17, 2011.
SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / BRETT CRAWFORD

FITCHBURG -- People in 30 cities and towns in North Central Massachusetts live a better life because of the Montachusett Opportunity Council. Begun as part of the nationwide war on poverty in the 1960s, the agency has expanded its mission and now seeks also to create healthy communities.

Kathleen McDermott has been at the helm as executive director since 1984, overseeing 270 employees and a wide range of programs tailored to the region's needs. "You shouldn't do things for the sake of doing them," she said.

Education, good health and financial stability are part of what she strives to provide.

All ages are served. Elder Nutrition Services, which provides meals at local senior centers and home delivery, is just one of the faces of the council.

The youngest get nutritious food through the Women, Infant and Children program. Day care on a sliding fee schedule is offered year-round. The Head Start program provides early education for select children.

Alleviating poverty family by family is part of the council's mission, but "more and more, we're really looking at more systematic community change. You're not going to get overnight results. It takes time," McDermott said.

Financial stability is a key part of improving life for struggling families. "If you can acquire assets you have a better chance at living and sustaining a better life," she said.

Along with other local service agencies, MOC is part of the North Central Home Ownership Center.

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Individuals receive financial education through the program. Some of the instruction is presented intergenerationally, so both children and parents learn financial skills.

Volunteers help with income tax preparation. Teens can join a summer employment program.

Another program helps families save for schooling, a home or a business purchase. If a participant saves $1,333, the center will match that three to one, so that the worker ends up with $5,000 to put towards a future expenditure.

McDermott and MOC are also key figures in regional health care. She is the co-chair of the Joint Coalition on Health that conducts health assessments in the area.

One of the results of this program was FUN N' FITchburg, a joint effort between MOC and the city of Fitchburg. Children in the program lost over 10 percent of their body mass index since 2009 and Fitchburg no longer has the second-highest BMI in the state.

The seasoned service provider director sees the unstable environment as the biggest future challenge. Employers will continue to demand a well-trained workforce, but federal funding to Head Start was cut. Fewer low-income students will be able to attend the classes designed to give them the tools needed to prepare for school and later succeed in gaining job skills.